How Sir Percival met two strange people in the forest, and how he succored a knight who was in very great sorrow and dole.

Now after Sir Percival had left Joyous Gard he rode for several days seeking adventure but meeting none.

Then one day he came to a very dark and wonderful forest which appeared to be so silent and lonely and yet so full of beauty that Sir Percival bethought him that this must surely be some forest of magic.  So he entered into that forest with intent to discover if he might find any worthy adventure therein.

[Sidenote:  Sir Percival enters the Forest of Arroy] (And that forest was a forest of magic; for you are to know that it was the Forest of Arroy, sometimes called the Forest of Adventure, which was several times spoken of in the book of King Arthur.  For no one ever entered into that forest but some singular adventure befell him.)

So Sir Percival rode through this wonderful woodland for a long time very greatly wondering, for everywhere about him was perfect silence, with not so much as a single note of a bird of the woodlands to lighten that stillness.  Now, as Sir Percival rode through that silence, he presently became aware of the sound of voices talking together, and shortly thereafter he perceived a knight with a lady riding amid the thin trees that grew there.  And the knight rode upon a great white horse, and the lady rode upon a red roan palfrey.

[Sidenote:  Sir Percival meets two strange people] These, when they beheld Sir Percival, waited for him, and as Sir Percival drew nigh to them he perceived that they were of a very singular appearance.  For both of them were clad altogether in green, and both of them wore about their necks very wonderful collars of wrought gold inset with opal stones and emeralds.  And the face of each was like clear wax for whiteness; and the eyes of each were very bright, like jewels set in ivory.  And these two neither laughed nor frowned, but only smiled continually.  And that knight whom Sir Percival beheld was Sir Pellias, and the lady was the Lady Nymue of the Lake.

Now when Sir Percival beheld these two, he wist that they were fay, wherefore he dismounted very quickly, and kneeled down upon the ground and set his palms together.  Then the Lady of the Lake smiled very kindly upon Sir Percival, and she said:  “Sir Percival, arise, and tell me what you do in these parts?”

Then Sir Percival arose and he stood before that knight and lady, and he said:  “Lady, I wist not how you know who I am, but I believe you are fay and know many things.  Touching my purpose in coming here, it is that I am in search of adventure.  So if you know of any that I may undertake for your sake, I pray you to tell me of it.”

The lady said:  “If so be thy desire is of that sort, I may, perchance be able to bring thee unto an adventure that is worthy for any knight to undertake.  Go a little distance from this upon the way thou art following and by and by thou wilt behold a bird whose feathers shall shine like to gold for brightness.  Follow that bird and it will bring thee to a place where thou shalt find a knight in sore need of thy aid.”